"It’s about what I do daily with practice and what I do daily with my team," Rice said. "That’s truly what’s going to count."

Rice said it felt good to be back Wednesday. Sort of. In his return to the bench after a 16-day suspension for inappropriate behavior, Rutgers lost 78-53.

"I'm very excited" to be back, Rice said. "I loved the last three or four days of preparation. This is a tough one to swallow because I would have liked to put on a little bit better showing. These things happen in the Big East."